Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Christening the Jamison Raider

Christening the Jamison Raider

How do lures get their names? Well, in just about every way imaginable--from the sound they make to the person who invented them to the completely made-up. The Jamison Company of Chicago, however, decided to try something different in 1941 when they introduced the No. 1500, a River Runt style casting lure. They held a national contest to see who could come up with the best name.

"Jamison's No. 1500 lure," a 1941 Sporting Goods Dealer article declared, "has been christened the Raider by the three prominent judges in the contest." The winner was Howard L. Tollefson of Inglewood, California, who received a $100 cash prize which was to be publicly presented by Jamison G.M. Orville Cullerton.

Jamison did not skimp on prizes, and got thousands of entries as a result. In fact, second and third prizes were outboard motors, while fourth prize was a radio. 50 other prize winners received a Jamison landing net.

Seated in the chair is Edwin McK. Johnson, the outdoor writer for The Chicago Daily News, handing a Western Union telegram to a delivery boy to be sent off to the winner of the contest. Standing behind are, from left to right, Orville F. Cullerton (Jamison's general manager), Ken Reid (Izaak Walton League executive secretary), and Norman Ross, a Chicago-based radio commentator.

The lurer itself was billed as a "vivid chipproof plastic bait made in two sizes (3.25" and 2.5") and six patterns." It is a pretty lure and certainly not as commonly found as, say, the wiggle twin. Here is the announcement ad for the newly christened lure:

So a neat lure got a neat name through a neat national contest. My thanks to J.K. Garrett & L.P. Brooks for sending this my way.

About Me

My name is Dr. Todd Larson, and I am a college history professor who writes on the history of fishing in America. I started this blog to help people better understand their outdoor heritage. I am originally from Duluth, Minnesota and live in Southwestern Ohio with my wife, daughter, three fish, two cats, and a dog.